This Week in Kickstarter – Chasing Rabbits

Welcome back to This Week in Kickstarter! This week we've got a full fledged Android PC, t-shirts for tabletop RPGs,  HD editing on your smartphone, and more!

Cardboard Clothing – Apparel for the Modern Board Gamer

Shirts and ties for board gamers, handcrafted in the U.S.A.

 Cardboard Clothing was founded to allow boardgamers to express their love of the boardgaming. Their various t-shirt designs are all based around modern boardgame staples—from meeples to mustaches. The shirts are 100% cotton and feature various boardgame in-jokes and allusions.

I never buy anything I talk about on these articles out of principle. But that principle was challenged by some of these shirt designs. That 7 wonders T-shirt is bad*ss, and the meeple love t-shirt is just adorable. At $20 a pop these T-shirts don't seem too expensive, and I don't think finding backers was too hard for this Kickstarter—though that's obvious when comparing their asking goal to their donations.

 

 

 

Remix Mini – The World's First True Android PC.

A PC experience unlike anything on Android, and an Android experience unlike anything on a PC.

 Running on the Remix OS, Remix Mini allows you to work with the entire Android app ecosystem, while working with PC features like a task-bar, multiple windows, mouse and keyboard, etc. The Remix Mini features a capacitive touch power button—simply tap the top of the device to start'er up!

Remix also features a 64-bit chipset, 2GB of RAM, and 16 GB of storage—or 1GB RAM and 8GB version if you just plan to use it for downloading movies. It can connect to Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, and USB. It runs on a custom version of Android Lollipop.

It's rare that a Kickstarter project makes me say "wow" out loud, but I'd be lying if I said this wasn't one of them. While the opening of the trailer made me roll my eyes at how pretentious and "world changing" it acts—though to be fair that's like half of Kickstarter in a nutshell—the final ten seconds had my eyes glued to the screen. And good God, $20?! That's a hell of a deal! Chromecast can't even beat that!

Downfall

Create a world you love and then destroy it, together.

Downfall is an RPG that explores the collapse of a society brought about by a fatal Flaw at work within the game. First players build the world, keeping in mind some flaw it holds like vanity, greed, perfectionism, etc. Then you create a set of traditions, practices, and beliefs for your society. Then you destroy the society and tell the story of a hero who tries to save their home. However, the hero will always fail.

The game works in any genre, whether mythical fantasy, modern day, or science fiction. Players can tell their tale in a single 2-4 hour session without preparation, dice, or a GM. Each player gets a chance at the spotlight. The game takes three players who each play the role of a main character—the Hero, the Fallen, and the Pillar. The Hero is the protagonist trying to save the world. The Fallen is the antagonist trying to destroy the world. The Pillar is the average joe, trying to keep the world the same.

Downfall is an extremely interesting game, where normally the aspect or set up of a game is the destruction of society, here it's the game mechanic. There are certainly some interesting games that can be played from this. However, I feel there should be some chance that the hero can save the world. I can see why some people would find it interesting that the hero can not succeed, but if failure is predestined then the struggle is pointless and there is no drama to be had. Without the possibility of success, there is no failure. I can't feel like I lost if there is no way to win. The set up itself is still intriguing, and I like the minimalist approach to this game, requiring very little to get started.

Lumos – A Next Generation Bicycle Helmet

A bicycle helmet with brake lights and turn signals to help cyclists stay safe.

 Lumos is a next generation bicycle helmet that features integrated brake and turn signal lights. These help you better communicate your intentions to drivers and those around you. The integrated lights are designed in a distinct pattern to stand out and alert others to your presence, and the side lights are used as turn signals via buttons attached to your handle bars.

Lumos also features automatic brake lights on the back. With its built in accelerometer, it senses when you slow down and automatically turns all rear lights bright solid red to signal that you are braking. Lumos is water resistant and is built with rechargeable batteries.

After showing my cyclist friend the Lumos, he was already considering buying it. He often has problems with cars on the road, as bike riders can have difficulty communicating where they're going. The turn signals, brake lights, and integrated front lights make this device a very sensible purchase for those in the bicycling community who don't want to be "that guy" on the rode.

The Warren

A tabletop RPG about intelligent rabbits making the best of a world filled with trouble.

A tabletop RPG where you play as intelligent rabbits trying to survive in a brutal world. Only through wit, will, speed and a cool head can rabbits bypass the threats they face in the outside world. The Warren is designed for 3-5 players and can be played in a single 2-hour session or over multiple sessions.

Campaigns follow the passing seasons and changing generations of new rabbits each with their own stories. Characters have a shared move pool. Rabbits themselves will be born and die within a single game. Rabbits don't fight, but they are fast and clever. The rules allow for player created moves as well, allowing for inventive solutions to problems.

I like how immediately different this is for a tabletop game—not that the tabletop genre is by any means void of interesting ideas. Playing as such a frail creature, especially when one of the main enemies is the species playing the game, is unique and readily interesting. The Warren looks to be a throughly entertaining, and an especially different, tabletop experience.

GNARBOX: Edit & Share HD Footage in Seconds – Laptop Free

A mobile solution for viewing, backing-up, editing, and sharing your HD footage.

 GNARBOX aims to get the most out of your media and free your backpack of the countless devices we have these days. Now editing your footage is as simple as taking out your phone. GNARBOX manages this with its simple three step set up:

1. Upload up to 128 GB from any camera to the GNARBOX via USB3, SD, or microSD.

2. Connect your phone to the GNARBOX's hotspot and open the GNARBOX app

3. Share your work at full resolution (up to 4K video and RAW photos!) to social media, YouTube, or dropbox.

The GNARBOX is weatherproof and pocket-sized. When you edit from your smartphone, all of the heavy lifting is placed on the CPU and GPU.

This device looks like a real game changer, and while the average consumer might not really care, I could see my photography-major friends going nuts over this thing. When it comes to photography, Murphy's Law is in full effect, and having so many fewer devices to worry about could save a huge hassle for people trying to get the job done. Having a weather proof device to keep all your stuff safe would be a must have for those interested in this field.

Disclaimer: The author (Bryan Heraghty) does not back any Kickstarter projects he writes about, nor are any of these inclusions sponsoring TechRaptor. These projects are included solely because the author thinks they are interesting.

What are your thoughts on some of the Kickstarters we saw this week? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below! If you have a game or technology Kickstarter you think deserves attention, you can either comment below, email TechRaptor, or tweet @techraptr or @greyhoodedbryan your suggestion!